Fully Digital Soldier Architecture

The U.S. Army Contracting Command-Belvoir Division C is seeking sources on behalf of the Combat Capability Development Command (CCDC) Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) to develop a Fully Digital Soldier Architecture (FDSA) for the Special Products and Prototyping Division (SPPD) Quick Response Branch (QRB). This program is in partnership with the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and Program Manager Soldiers, Sensors, and Lasers (PM SSL). The intent of this Market Survey is to identify potential sources capable of developing FDSA prototype software. This software would primarily be in relation to currently in-development fully digital night vision goggle systems. All interested firms should consider responding to this RFI, even smaller firms, those firms not currently working in the digital night vision mission area, and/or firms that may only have expertise in some, even if not all, of the desired capabilities discussed below. The transition to digital technology for night vision devices offers many opportunities for overmatch capabilities which requires a paradigm shift to take advantage of. The objective of the FDSA effort is to develop a novel software paradigm to maximize the advantages of a fully digital suite of personnel equipment for dismounted Warfighters. The architecture must combine a fully digital visual augmentation system (VAS), Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) enabled end user device (EUD), tactical radio, and ancillary digital equipment (i.e. weapon sights, small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), etc) in order to provide capabilities not possible with analog systems. Specifically, NVESD intends the FDSA program to demonstrate and evaluate the potential for a fully digital architecture to enhance the implementation of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). This architecture should take advantage of hi-frame rate digital image feeds, 2-D and 3-D terrain data, and full color displays to enhance pose estimation, provide a more intuitive and ergonomic AR interface, and a more realistic VR experience. A successful FDSA shall implement digital image processing to improve the quality of the image presented to the eye. Such processes may include by are not limited to noise reduction, filtering, foveated imagery, smart fusion, etc. Further, FDSA should implement an intelligent toggling system that will modulate power and dataflow throughout the system. This architecture must result in demonstrable power savings while also enhancing user ingestion of information by displaying only channels that actively contain relevant information. This must include a user override that allows the system operator to easily take complete control of the system. FDSA should allow individual users to customize their digital network, based on both their preferences as well as mission requirements. Customizable facets of the system should include degree of automation, end-state priority (up-time, detection, recognition, etc), and pieces of kit that constitute the network. Any FDSA solution will need to have a positive impact on size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) conditions. . NVESD envisions FDSA as a system that combines with existing hardware to make it work more effectively and efficiently, reducing redundancy while and maximizing the benefit of digital equipment. However, NVESD acknowledges that additional hardware may be necessary or desirable to add functionality. If additional hardware is recommended by the proposing party, it will be integrated into the Warfighter load-out elegantly and ergonomically. Hardware in the architecture may communicate wirelessly (optional) but must communicate via a hardwired connection. If wireless functionality is available, acceptable communication methods shall be via Bluetooth and/or WIFI (i.e. 802.11g) and/or via Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) and/or Ultra Wide Band (UWB). Hard-wired interfaces shall be USB 2.0 or newer. The tactical communications infrastructure shall be based around TAK. The radio shall be either wave relay radio such as an MPU-5 or wideband waveform such as a Harris 152A/163. New technologies and capabilities frequently adds, deletes, or modifies a Soldier's tasks. New technologies affect how a Soldier performs tactical tasks; often inserting changes in job requirements, enhancing or degrading wearer confidence, and bringing changes to training requirements. A poorly designed FDSA has the potential for significantly increasing the workload on a user by adding both information-gathering and decision-making tasks to his existing workload. A poorly designed architecture, that reduces system runtime, induces motion sickness, increases workload and reading time, causes discomfort, overheats, or requires constant user input, will negatively affect individual performance and confidence. Rather the successful architecture should minimize the additional cognitive workload that it places on the wearer and maximize hardware performance. The US Government is interested in obtaining data rights to proposed FDSA solutions to utilize, transition, and advance the military architecture of the future. This may include competitive future use and the ability to obtain integration/operation/maintenance/sustainment/upgrade services from third parties (i.e., Contractors other than the original manufacturer or developer). Responses to this RFI should address what the path forward is for the US Government to purchase data rights to FDSA solutions necessary to achieve Government objectives. The following aspects of the FDSA design will be critically examined by NVESD. - The architecture should utilize available digital image channels to provide depth of field that (T) will identify the ground plane, (O) provide a close-range full depth map of the environment. - Use 2-D to 2-D, 2-D to 3-D, and 3-D to 3-D registration techniques to enhance the user pose estimate. - The architecture should improve the flow of information to the user. - The architecture should result in measurable power savings by implementing throttling methods. - The architecture should automate certain processes to reduce cognitive load on the user and enhance performance. - The architecture should be compatible with common personal equipment (for example, handheld GPS devices) for dismounts and be in full compliance with ICDs that are being developed by the US Army (to be provided no later than the start of any FDSA effort). - The architecture should be configurable by the user to suit mission needs and personal preferences. - The architecture should simplify the presentation of data entry and system control options. - The architecture-equipped display should not induce motion sickness, cause discomfort, or require constant adjustment. - The architecture-equipped system should not grow in size and weight, should not draw excessive amounts of power, should efficiently manage its thermal burden, and should be intuitive to use. - What data rights will the Government be entitled to if the Government decided to procure the solution described in response to this RFI? The objective of the FDSA program is to demonstrate and evaluate the potential benefits of a fully digital system. Prototypes may not be fully functional if they adequately demonstrate the achievability of novel methods to enhance performance of both the user and the system. These are the questions that the FDSA program will address: - Can advanced 3-D methods be feasibly implemented on a system born by a dismounted Warfighter to enhance user performance and ingestion of information? - Does the presence of a near-eye full color digital display enhance user experience of AR/VR? - Can power throttling significantly enhance system up-time? - Can distribution of processing burden be used to improve system performance? Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a White Paper due no later than 14 November 2019 22:00 PST, and submitted via e-mail only to joanna.m.jones8.civ@mail.mil. White Papers shall be submitted in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format and should be limited to 10 pages, double spaced, 12 font. Respondents to this RFI may mark proprietary information in the White Paper as such. However, by submitting a response to the RFI, the respondent agrees the Government may reproduce and use the information submitted, even if marked proprietary, to the extent necessary to evaluate the White Paper. Respondents are advised that the information submitted to the Government in response to this RFI may be released to non-Government support contractors. The following Government support contractors may assist the Government with reviewing White Papers submitted in response to this RFI: CACI, Inc; Polaris Alpha, (a Parsons Company); LKC Consulting, LLC. These support contractors are subject to DFARS 252.227-7025 (DFARS 227.7103-7 provides that requirement for use and non-disclosure agreements does not apply to Government contractors which require access to a third party's data or software for the performance of a Government contract that contains the clause at 252.227-7025, Limitations on the Use or Disclosure of Government-Furnished Information Marked with Restrictive Legends.) Section 1 of the White Paper shall provide administrative information, and shall include the following as a minimum: Company name, mailing address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail of designated contracting points of contact. In addition, respondents shall provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, and Dunn & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. Please identify your company's small business size standard based on the primary North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code of 541715 R&D Services. The Small Business Size Standard for this NAICS code is 1000 number of employees. For more information, refer to http://www.sba.gov/size. Section 2 shall provide background information on the proposing company and relevant efforts (recommended - page). Section 3 shall address the capabilities that the proposed FDSA solution will add to the Warfighter, such as enhanced fusion, registration with mapped environments, depth of field, enhanced pose accuracy, image filtering/digital image processing, etc. This section shall include technical descriptions of methodology and practical implementation to the level of detail necessary to conceptually understand the proposed path forward, while also conveying the largest areas of risk and what the performance trade space is (recommended 2 pages). Section 4 shall detail the strategy for implementation of the FDSA solution such that system redundancy is eliminated and negative SWaP-C implications is mitigated. This section may also contain novel methodologies proposed in the FDSA solution that do not directly add capability to the Warfighter, but have technical impact via data/power throttling, distributed processing, etc. (Recommended 2 pages). Section 5 shall include a rough-order of magnitude (ROM) estimate for the proposed work, including cost and required resources and a generic timeline. This estimate is not to be formal nor binding, but must have sufficient detail that the Government may, in its discretion, seek funding for the potential effort. Ideally, ROMs will include as much as possible tiered options that allow the Government to scale the effort to fit available funding (if any) (recommended 1 page). The above style guide is strongly recommended, however it is for reference only. Responses to this FRI that do not meet recommended page counts or section content may still be considered by the Government. Respondents are asked to use whatever format best communicates the strength of their approach. Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the Contracting Officer, joanna.m.jones8.civ@mail.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 08 November 2019 at 1700 EST will be answered. The Government intends to hold vendor discussions approximately a month after the White Papers submission date with the most firms submitting the most promising White Papers, as determined in the Government's sole discretion. Details of the vendor discussions will be provided by separate correspondence. Interested firms who do not respond to the RFI are unlikely to be invited to vendor discussions. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify sources that can provide technologies to support the FDSA program. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Army has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought.